Jake Sanderson out indefinitely after lower-body injury in Senators opener

Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson suffered a lower-body injury Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs and is out indefinitely, dealing a significant blow to the team's blue line just as the season opened.

Sanderson played only 4:29 across six shifts before leaving the game at Scotiabank Arena. The injury occurred in the first period when Sanderson got caught up along the boards with Toronto winger Nick Paul. Coach Travis Green told reporters Monday the initial assessment was more encouraging than feared. "He got some testing done. I would call it not as serious as we had hoped it wouldn't be, and I don't think it's going to be, but he definitely won't play the rest of this trip," Green said while the team was in Boston.

Sanderson was sent home to Ottawa for further evaluation and will miss at least the next two games as the Senators finish a three-game road trip against Detroit. The injury marks a different ailment from one that hampered Sanderson in the first week of camp; he had recovered to skate three straight days before receiving clearance for the season opener.

The Senators were forced to finish Saturday's game against Toronto with five blueliners, forcing defenceman Thomas Chabot to play more than 27 minutes. Ottawa's depth on defence is already stretched — Artem Zub is nursing a knee injury from April's playoff series, and the team cycled through 13 defencemen last season.

Jorian Donovan was recalled from AHL Belleville to fill the roster spot. Cameron Crotty, a 27-year-old who signed as an unrestricted free agent in July 2025, entered the lineup Monday against Boston after suiting up for only six games last season. Defenceman Jordan Spence said the team's approach mirrors last year's strategy of adapting on the fly. "Sandy is a great player. It's a big loss, but we're trying to win games here and everybody has to do their job," Spence said before facing the Bruins.